Johnny Cash - Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash [Clear Violet]

Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash gathers the Man in Black's raw Memphis years onto one LP, here pressed on clear violet vinyl.

Sun Records issued the album in 1964, six years after Cash had left for Columbia, but the music inside reaches back to the very beginning. Cut for Sam Phillips' label with Luther Perkins on guitar and Marshall Grant on bass, these recordings capture the boom-chicka-boom rhythm that made the Tennessee Two one of the most recognisable sounds in country music, stripped to the bone and pulsing with nervous energy.

"Big River" is the standout, a rolling, rambling tale of heartbreak traced down the Mississippi, delivered with Cash's deep, unhurried authority. "Wide Open Road" offers a glimpse of him at his very earliest, still finding his voice, while "Thanks a Lot," penned by Charlie Rich, drips with dry, bitter wit. The gospel number "Belshazzar" stands out too, a reminder of the faith that ran through his whole career.

It's spare and simple, and that simplicity is exactly the point, a handful of musicians in a small Memphis studio making a sound far bigger than the room.

For collectors, it fills a crucial gap between the early singles and the legend, and the violet wax gives this foundational chapter a fresh shine.